


Follow My Lead

by Special02



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, Ballet, Cheesecake, DJWifi, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Hip Hop, One-Sided Attraction, Rating May Change, Secret Identity, love these two, mention of bullying, more angst then expected, not sure tho, serious dancing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-07-02 19:17:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15802899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Special02/pseuds/Special02
Summary: Marinette a full-time klutz who just so happens to be a dedicated ballet dancer. She had always preferred room for creative freedom and because of this, she escapes at night to become her alter-ego. Ladybug, a famous street performer, works with Tikki to conquer the underworld of dancing.Adrien is the definition of perfect. Straight A student, learns fencing, speaks Chinese and English fluently, models for a living, and above all, dances at a professional level. Needing to escape his duties, Plagg helps transform him to the flirty, pun-loving carefree Chat Noir.If that wasn't enough, destiny has fated the two to meet one way or another. With both new and old friends also crossing path, their school year just got a whole lot more drama. Though the true question is whether they are a friend or a foe.------This  story focuses on all the ships, not just one. All are important. Just saying.Please give the story a go(Edited summary)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ehmjay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ehmjay/gifts).



> Had the idea for ages. Decides to write this instead of doing an assignment that is due tomorrow, hasn't stated it and it's 10pm. Yay! Go Me!

“Marinette,” a voice called, it was so close yet sounded so distant all at the same time. Stirring from her sleep ever so slightly, she groaned. “Marinette, you’re going to be late if you don’t wake up.” The voice encouraged but it was all but in vain. As if on the que, the door of the dorm bedroom swung open and in strolled her other best friend, Alya.

“Marinette, if don’t get your lazy ass off this bed, we’ll both be late for the first day back and I thought you said you were gonna be better this year?” it was as if the voice had some kind of power over the girl, the power to drag the girl that literally slept like a log and woke up like a zombie, to arise from her slumber and get her dressed and ready within couple of minutes.

“Tikki! Why didn’t you wake me up?!” Marinette yelled from within the bathroom. The said girl peaked from her spot to see her dear friend and roommate multitasking; brushing her teeth, fixing her hair and tidying up her crimpled clothing.

“I tried Marinette, but you wouldn’t budge,” Tikki explained regretting she didn’t try hard enough to wake her up. “I know you and Tikki are practically one person, but don’t go blaming her for your issues.” Alya shot Marinette a menacing glare, one that even she couldn’t stand against. Stepping out of the bathroom, Marinette gave the most apologetic smile to Tikki.

“I’m sorry Tikki, I just want to be chosen this year,” she finished with a sigh.

“Don’t be sorry, I know you can do it. We all know the only reason you weren’t chosen last year, was because Chloe got her father to pull strings and rig the auditions,” Tikki tried to comfort but was returned with a sad smile.

“Besides, this year will be different.” Alya patted Marinette’s shoulder in comfort, throwing her a classic ‘Alya knows all’ smirk.

“How do you-,” Marinette tried to ask but was cut off.

“Don’t underestimate the girl who runs the _official_ Ladyblog. I have my sources and I’m sure everything will make sense when we get to class.”

“Hate to break it you two but if we don’t get moving, we’re all gonna be late for the first day back. And some of us aren’t juniors here,” Tikki inserted in. Marinette’s heart sank just a little before she grabbed Alya and sprinted out of the room yelling a '‘sorry Tikki, talk at lunch.'’ Tikki giggle as she exited the dorm room, walking the opposite direction of her two underclassmen went.

But this is all confusing right? Let’s go back a bit to understand.


	2. Transfer Student 1

 Marinette rushed into class with only seconds to spare. Her blue, almost black hair was tied messily in a ballet bun. Alya followed in and the two sat at the only desk available. Second row to the front. The class was unusually loud, then again, it was the first day back and despite everyone knowing everyone, it was their first year as high school students. In the front of the two sat a tanned boy, thoughts enwrapped in the music he listened to through the same of headphones he’s had since he started schooling. Despite his bored expression, it was his amber eyes that showed life in his lifeless body. The way it gleamed through his thick, back framed glasses was something only people with a good eye can truly appreciate. One person, in particular, had her eyes set on the class ‘loner’.

“Alya, you’re staring too much,” Marinette whispered. Alya quickly averted her hazel eyes and met Marinette’s bluebell ones.

“You’ll understand when you meet the right guy.” Alya smiled dreamily as she side glanced at Nino. Alya was the sorta girl you’d expect that guys to fawn over. Why not? She had a curvaceous body under her simplistic clothing, perfect tanned skin with but one beauty spot located above her right eyebrow and her natural wavy hair, died in a reddish-brown ombre. it was a shame that every single person in Collège-Lycée Françoise Dupont knew that her one true love was journalism. She was a born reporter. She could have basically any guy if she wanted but Alya had her eyes set on one person only.

“how do you know Nino is the _'right guy’_? We’re not even 16 yet,” Marinette questioned, utterly confused. Alya could only laugh, wiping a fake tear away from her eye. Poor Marinette was genuinely confused.

“you know there is a popular belief that there is more than one ‘mr right’ though I think that there’s only one and you’ll know when you've met them. Either way, that guy,” Alya pointed to the oblivious Nino. “That guy is my ‘mr right’ no question about.”

“But how do you know?” Marinette asked, still baffled at her explanation. Before Alya could restate her previous statement, Madame Caline Bustier walked in, late as per usual.

“Sorry class, it seems you’re stuck with me yet again as your homeroom teacher.” Madame Bustier walked in slightly flustered, obviously caused by something she would never share with her students. She was your typical teacher. Except she wasn’t. She looked to be in her early to mid-twenties though everyone knew she wasn’t. It was a common fact that she was married for three years and she has been working at the school for at least five years. Calculating the years she had to of studied to become a teacher, plus the years she has been working for, she would need to be at least in her early thirties. Her red, almost orange hair was tied up in a bun and near perfect complexion was fooling to those who didn’t know her. She was one of the few teachers who actually care about all her students, that included the rich, spoiled Chloe.

“Anyway, we have a new student joining us. Please get along with him, he’s new to not just Paris, but to schooling in general. He has been homeschooled up until now and that is why he was put into our class as his long-time friend is in this class,” the teacher explained. The whispering around the room broke out, all curious who it was. Everyone fell silent as the door slid open.

“Adrikins, I’m so happy I get to see you every day.” Everyone immediately groaned, recognising the voice as the most hated girl in school, Chloe Bourgeois. They also lost hope in whoever was involved with her.

 _‘Poor soul’_ basically everyone thought.

“Sabrina, you can’t sit next to me cause Adrikin is taking your spot,” Chloe waved off as she entered the room. It was at this moment that everyone’s jaw dropped to the ground. There stood the famous teen model, Adrien Agreste. Marinette’s heart basically shattered along most of the girls who knew who Chloe was. But it wasn’t because the teen model was friends with her. No, it was because child ballet prodigy was friends with Chloe. She was basically Marinette’s worse enemy and her idol in dance was shattered in a split second.

Chloe wasn’t typical a ‘mean’ girl. Sure she was rich, and well dressed, poor mannered etc. It was the fact that she wasn’t always like this when everyone first met her. Most people in the school went to the same ecole primaire it was only in the last two to three years her personally took a complete 180. She had honey blonde hair, pulled back into a high ponytail, light ocean blue eyes with enough makeup to know she wears it, but not enough to call it ‘caked on’. It was things like the clothing she wore, and the accessories had on that basically screamed ‘only daughter from a rich family’.

“It’s okay Chloe, I don’t mind sitting somewhere else. Besides, Sabrina has been your friend for as long as I have. I don’t want to come in between the two of you.” Adrien shot one of his model smiles at Chloe before ushering her and Sabrina to the only desk remaining. It was always their desk, and everyone knew it.

Sabrina Raincomprix was Chloe’s one and only friend at school and it was no surprise. She was the sort of girl who craved approval that Chloe never gave. Her rather vibrant orange hair was cut in a perfect bob cut with sea green eyes that had one person on her mind. Her eyes met Adrien and gave him a smile before she went on and admired her devastated friend. Marinette wondered how such a sweet girl fell trap to Chloe.

“As you may know, this is Adrien Agreste and he is new here. Please introduce yourself,” Madame Bustier encouraged, taking a step back.

“Well as you know, I’m Adrien Agreste and I’m in the dance department. I only know Chloe in our year group, but I hope to get along with everyone.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck giving an unsure smile to the class. He was met with blank faces. No one knew if he was faking or not, so they decided being weary was the best option.

“Thank you Adrien, I hope you enjoy being in our class. We are known to be rather rowdy, especially since most of them are experiencing their rebel phase in the academy.” Madame Bustier whispered the last part with a slight chuckle. Adrien smiled politely before taking the only seat remaining. “Look at that? We finally have a full class. Now Nino won’t be all alone like last year.” She gestured to the person beside Adrien.

“I hope to get along with you this year,” Adrien said as he extended a hand, facing Nino who was still facing forward. When he Nino finally decided to turn around, he glanced at his extended hand, then met is emerald green eyes. Not even a hint of a smile was present on his face.

“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but anyone who’s friends with Chloe is just as corrupt as her,” Nino stated before turning back to the front.

 _‘What did Chloe do to upset everyone?’_ Adrien thought to himself.

“As you know, in the middle of the year, we have auditions and scholarships and once in a lifetime opportunities for each department,” Madame Bustier said, breaking the tension in the class. “This year however, there is a slight change with the dance department. Instead of getting a scholarship next year at an exclusive ballet school in Paris, one female and male in Lycée group will be given the opportunity to fly overseas. they then get a chance to participate in the Royal Ballet in London and tour with them for the first half of next year. This is a great opportunity for Marinette, Chloe and Adrien, being our ones in the dance department. However, the opportunity to go overseas are mainly for the première and terminale years but seconde are highly encouraged to participate.”

Marinette felt all her insides flip around. What Alya had said finally made sense. This year, she will try extra hard. She was especially pissed off at Chloe after she threw away the scholarship she earned last year. It all made sense in her head though. She gave it up for her precious ‘Adrikins’ which irritated her even more. The _one_ dancer she aspired to dance beside one day turned out to be a real pain from what she could tell.

The next few hours were a blur and before Marinette realised, it was lunch time. She exited out of the classroom, leaving Alya behind and headed towards the première's  building. Collège-Lycée Françoise Dupont wasn’t a typical school. It was school who specialised in classical arts. The school day was composed of two parts. The first half of the day, the students would participate in the usual classes that included math, science, French etc. The second half was all about the separate departments. As stated before, it was a school that specialised in classical arts. This included learning classical ballet, classical music on different instruments, writing in old languages such as Shakespeare, and art. Each department cycles between theory – in which one learns of the history of terms and other knowledge – and practical. This was when the students use what they know to learn and compose their own piece, be it an art piece or routine dance. Once they hit seconde, lycée, they must choose if they want to pursue the practical or the theory side of each department. 

However, the school experiences difficulties around the end of collège and beginning of lycée. This was around the time where the teenagers begin to question the classics and discover things outside of what they should know. Taking Nino for example, he was the sort of person who would have grown up to join an orchestra and accompany a classical ballet group. That was until he discovered a small time DJ that inspired him to change what he wanted to be and because of this, he slowly drifted away from the friends he used to have so much in common with. It wasn’t uncommon for a student to be sheltered to the point that they knew little to no information on genres outside of classical.

Majority of students, including Marinette, Nino, Chloe and Sabrina came from Ecole Primaire Françoise Dupont which was branch of the school branding for the younger years. This was when the children decided which department they would want to pursue and began learning all about it. It was people that transferred later that had trouble fitting in and would often leave within the year. Alya was one of the few that had lasted the first year. It was a mere coincidence that everyone in her class had begun to open to new genres like Nathaniel had taken an interest in comic book art.

“Tikki?” Marinette called before she opened the door of her last class. It was the only time Marinette could go see her during school hours as all students rushed out for lunch. As expected, Marinette opened to see the classroom completely empty except for the one girl at the back of the room.

“Hey Marinette,” Tikki greeted as she turned to face her with her typical bright smile. It immediately dropped when she saw the expression on the face of her dear friend. It was as if her soul had left the body and she had become the embodiment of despair. Standing up, she enwrapped Marinette into hug. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?” Tikki asked. She was answered with a sorrowful sigh.

“We need to get out tonight. I just found out Adrien is actually friends with Chloe.” Once again, Marinette sighed.

“You know you should give him a chance Marinette. You can’t judge a guy by who he’s friends with. Especially if he only had Chloe.” Marinette looked up at her with confusion. As if understanding, Tikki smiled at her. “I know all, he’s literally the talk of every class. They say you can choose your friends but that’s not always the case. He was in a controlled environment and his friends were chosen by someone else. Besides, Chloe may be a pain, but people can change,” Tikki said rather cheerfully. Marinette chuckled lightly at her words.

“You and I both know she’s already had her change.” Marinette pulled away from her friend’s comfort. “You know, you speak as if you've experienced exactly how it feels.” It was Tikki’s to giggle.

“Not me silly, just somebody that I used to know.” Her had sparkled ever so slightly by those words she spoke. This caused Marinette to smirk as she began to wiggle her eyebrows knowingly.

“So there’s a certain someone you have in mind? How come I didn’t know?” She fake pouted, acting hurt that it was almost cringy.

“That was a long time ago. Our fallout was something that wasn’t so peaceful. Besides, I’ll never see him again and I’m also over him. I don’t what I’d do if I saw him again though.” Tikki paused as she thought of him. “Anyway, that’s enough of my past, let's eat lunch and get you out of here before anyone sees us. It’s quite troublesome, not so much for you but for me.”

The way the school system is set out has one fatal flaw and that is the unspoken hierarchy. Within each department, the higher years were arrogant towards the lower years and hanging out with someone in the lower years causes instant isolation and even bullying. This is something Tikki has grown accustomed to though, but it had been quite a while since anyone has actually bullied her. People had just started to talk to her again in the final weeks leading up to the grade transition. Marinette promised she wouldn’t allow it to get worse again, so their meetups had become discreet.

The hierarchy was so bad that they began mixing the regular classes with the other departments to ease the tension between each department. Marinette’s year group was the trial and proved quite successful. What the hadn’t considered was the amount of ‘rebelling’ they were experiencing with her year in particular.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ecole Primaire - primary/elementary school. 6-11 years of age. 5 years of schooling.
> 
> Collège - middle school/first few years of high school. 11-15 years of age. 4 years of schooling. 
> 
> Lycée - high school:  
> Seconde – 15 to 16 years old  
> Première – 16 to 17 years old  
> Terminale – 17 to 18 years old  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> Trying to add some french stuff


	3. Dance Department's Mini-Competition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally bothered to post the chapter. I'm pretty forgetful and the more I progress in the story, the more I forget. If there are any plot holes, big or small, please comment below.

What Adrien did, he was not sure. Was Chloe that bad of a person? Sure he had seen some sort of change in her personality over the past few years, but nothing too extreme. They had been friends since basically birth and even after he moved overseas all those years ago, he and Chloe would always Skype and stuff. She was his one and only friend up until last year. He had stumbled across a certain person who he, at first, thought was hated by. Despite that, he followed him like a loss kitten. Look at them now, his so called friend had skipped the first day because he was jet lagged. For some unknown reason, he had decided to move in with Adrien as his unofficial roommate in the apartment across from the school. Adrien’s father didn’t approve of the living facilities, but he knew Adrien couldn’t live with him since he worked on the other side of Paris.

His mind swirled with thoughts of this overwhelming idea that school wasn’t gonna be as fun as he thought it would be. He almost regrets asking Nathalie to put the idea of going to school in his dad’s head. His thoughts were cut off by the sudden pull on his arm.

“Chloe?” He gave her a quizzical look. Chloe gazed into his eyes before pulling him completely up off his chair.

“Adrikins, we need to go now before the changerooms fill up. Dance is rather popular here and it is important that I get changed before all the girls come in and stink up the room.” Before he could even ask why he had to leave half an hour before lunch concluded, she had already begun dragging him away. Adrien was oblivious by nature when it came to social interactions and what not, but he wasn’t blind. It had only been a few hours into the first day and he could already tell why everyone disliked Chloe. Then again, he wasn’t sure why everyone _hated_ her. She wasn’t that bad, and he knew it.

“Where did Sabrina go?” Adrien asked as the two walked along the empty corridors of school. Though Chloe had released him, she still stuck awfully close to him. Why she did that? He’d never know.

“Who? Oh Sabrina? She’s in the language and literature department,” Chloe explained though she delivered it in a way that made her sound like Sabrina was the annoying one.

“So she’s good at languages? I heard that if you’re in the language department, you need to learn English too,” Adrien inquired, trying to keep the small talk going. If he couldn’t hold a conversation with his long time fiend, he had no hope of making any friends while attending the school. Chloe visibly rolled her eyes.

“She’s not even that good. Besides, she’s there for the practical side to languages.”

“Practical side?” Adrien was truly lost in everything. The school was so confusing.

“Acting basically. You see, up until now our department lessons were half theory and practical. The teachers recommended the side we should pursuit and at the end of last year, we made our final decision. They won’t force, but no one has ever denied what they were recommended for.”

“What if you aren’t good at either?” Adrien asked. Chloe laughed, using Adrien’s shoulder for support so she didn’t end up rolling on the ground crying. She wiped the non-existent tear away from her eye. After a couple of seconds, she recomposed herself.

“There is no such thing as not good enough here.” Once again Adrien threw her a confused look, so she continued. “They say that they are expelled for bad behaviour, but everyone knows its not true. Take our normal classes, everyone knows we have the most trouble makers in the school. Nathaniel, the artsy emo kid in the back of our class. He was found with prohibited items in his bag. By that I mean spray paint. But they wont kick him out. He’s one of the bet in the whole school. That includes the snobby older kids too. I wont ever admit it to their faces but there’s a reason I’m in that class. It’s by far the most talented class in our year group.” Adrien’s mind was spinning. Definitely not what he was expecting school to be like. When he modelled in the parks in the US, he had saw the students walking and smiling and always looking like they were having so much fun. The second thing on his mind was who the heck Nathaniel was. Before he could ask yet another question, they had arrived at the changerooms.

“This is the boys’ rooms, I may take a while so wait for me.” Chloe tried to lean in and kiss the said boy on the cheek, but he pushed her face away. Rejection however didn't faze her. She just smugly smiled and walked off into the changerooms. Left in the hallway, Adrien though that he too should get changed in the meantime.

Within a couple of minutes, he was changed. Looking at his reflection he began fixing his hair. He wasn't one to actually care about how he looked in clothing - he was 90% sure that he would look good in it anyway - but he was always checking his hair. It wasn't for the purpose of checking himself though. He needed to look a certain way. Why? For personal reasons he really didn’t want to share with anyone. Adrien swept his hair to the right, neatening it out the best he could. Finally satisfied, he left the changerooms, a bag with all his clothing stuffed inside at hand. Leaning against the wall next to the door he had just exited out of, he stood comfortably all while looking picture perfect. Literally. If a photo was to be taken, it could be mistaken to be one of his many modelling photos. It was his natural default position so who could blame him.

Chloe had yet to get out of the changerooms, so Adrien was left by himself in a nearly dead silent hallway. With such an uncomfortable silence surrounding him, it was no surprise Adrien jumped when his phone rang quite loudly from inside his bag. Taking a second to recover, he pulled out his phone and sighed at the sight of the caller id. He knew what was coming. Answering the phone he was met with the familiar voice that he had grown accustomed to.

“Where is the cheese?!” the person on the other side of the line erupted out of anger. Adrien sighed thinking back to why he had followed him. Then again, he was extremely thankful to him for the most part. That didn’t always apply and right at that moment, it was the latter.

 _‘Not this again’_ Adrien sighed internally. He needed to get out, so he walked up the stairs that was across from where he was standing, assuming it was the stairs to the roof. The building was only two floors high and the changerooms he was in was already on the second floor, so he did the math and hoped there wasn’t anything weird happening up the stairs. Swiftly opening the door, he exited onto the roof, feeling the slight breeze through his hair.

“I told you Plagg, we literally arrived yesterday. I didn’t have time to order the stupid cheese,” Adrien puffed out in annoyance. His dear roommate however, continued to complain from the other end of the line.

“I’m jet lagged and everything and all I ask for is the cheese. I don’t even ask for any other food so why can’t you just get me some now?” Plagg complained, trying to guilt trip him. Fortunately, Adrien had finally gotten used to his tactics.

“Nice try Plagg but that aint gonna work.” Adrien smirked though he knew he couldn’t see it. He did believe Plagg could hear the smirk on his lips and it felt great to be in power for once. “Besides, you’re not the only one jet lagged. At least I still went to school unlike a certain person I know.” The slight hint of annoyance in Adrien’s voice had no effort in trying to hide it.

“Ahh whatever, you better get me some before you return or I promise you this, I’m not going to help you tonight.” Plagg tried to sound like he didn’t care but Adrien already knew he would help him even if he didn’t bring the cheese beforehand. Though it took a while, he had figured that under his lazy, uncaring façade, was someone who cared for Adrien. He just showed it in a very odd way.

“What do you mean you won’t help me tonight?” Adrien started but never properly finished. Plagg had hung up before Adrien could say goodbye. He assumed his friend went back to bed as Plagg spent half of his time at home sleeping and the other half eating.

Adrien glanced at his phone to read the time and noticed how there was just over five minutes till the beginning of his first day in the dance department. He was heading to the door, but something stopped him. Well, more like someone. The figure stood there, leaning against the only exit back into the building.

“I don’t know what I heard, and I really don’t care. What I really want to know is why Mr Perfect is without her _royal highness_.” Adrien knew the voice. They may have only spoken literally once, but his words had been ringing throughout the whole day.

“Um.” Adrien wavered. He wasn’t one to do that often but what was he supposed to say. “I was just waiting for Chloe cause she wanted to be early to class?” He himself wasn’t sure why Chloe dragged him to the changerooms so early. He knew very well that there was time after lunch to get ready. The other teen scoffed at her name like it was literal poison. Adrien wasn’t all that happy about it.

“I hate people like you,” He spat. Adrien was baffled. Lost of words more accurately.

“Hey Nino, I don’t know what Chloe did for you to hate but I’m sorry on her behalf. What I don’t understand is what I did to you. I don’t even know you.” Nino laughed, even wiping a fake tear.

“Dude, I don’t hate you. Well, more accurately, I might have even liked you if it weren’t for your so called friend. And you apologising on behalf of her is priceless. How about you have nice long look at her and come back to the rest of us when you realise who she really is. No, actually, don’t look at her. You’ll probably burn.” Adrien realised two things at that moment. One, Nino was savage, though Adrien actually admired the way he stuck up for himself. Two, he wasn’t blind. He could see that Chloe can be difficult at times. He just didn’t know nor understand how much until now. Or maybe he still didn’t understand. In all honesty Adrien was hurt.

Nino stepped to the side and pulled the door open. A silent exchange was given, telling Adrien that he can go. Adrien walked, slightly hunched over but as he passed Nino, he stopped. Straightening up though not looking him in the eye, he left parting words.

“I know Choe can be difficult but I’m sure you might know why that is and I may not nor ever understand what she did to make everyone hate her, but don’t go judging before you know the person. I maybe friends with Chloe but just think aout how I feel or anyone who is in my situation. She was my _only_ friend up till last year and if she does something wrong, don’t expect me to sit back and watch. I am my own person and I can choose what I want to do.” With that Adrien walked passed, the door closing behind him but not before a small mutter from Nino.

“I know you are.” The words rang through his head. It really amazed Adrien how much his words can impact him. He sighed at himself. He literally said he was his own person, but he knew very well what he was. What his father thought of him. He wanted to walk downstairs but his legs were jello. He settled for just sitting. Saying what he thought was hard, stressful even. His thoughts pulled him into a trance. He was happy to finally able to go school despite his father having ulterior motives, but now he almost regretted (second time that day) whispering ideas for Nathalie to suggest to his father. Almost. Once again, the familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Adrien! Where are you?! I don’t want you to be late for our debut as the best dance couple!” He sighed. Chloe was such a handful but as least she was there for him. He finally stood up and walked down the stairs. He was preparing half arse excuse that he was positive she’d interrogate him for. Imagine how surprise he was when Chloe just dragged him away and to the closest double door.

Once through, he was met by a massive studio, about the size of decent sized house. It had two floors though the second was probably for spectating as it was more like a mezzanine. Black Tarkett lined the floors and clinical bar lights lined the ceiling. It had barres lining the far wall with free standing ones on the left and right walls. There were closets full of dance equipment that were probably for improving technique. It was nothing like he had ever seen. Sure he’s been to studios, he had his own studio in his father’s house and in his apartment too, but never this big. The number of students there made him smile. The thought of being in an actual class excited him.

There were students lined up on the barre practicing what he assumed was syllabus work. There were students on the floor stretching or using the wall to stretch. There were students practicing in the centre routines and syllabus work. He spotted a group of teachers huddled together, talking about teaching methods. Chloe grabbed his bag unamused and shoved it into a locker near them. She returned with a set of numbers on a piece of paper. She didn’t look impressed, but she let him stare in awe like the goofball she knew he was. After a good five minutes she grabbed his hand. The gesture shocked him. He wanted to pull away as a reaction but fought it.

“Here,” Chloe said while she placed the paper into his hand. He looked at it and noticed it was his birthdate. He was sorta shocked she remembered considering how self-centred she was. Apparently she noticed. “Don’t be too shocked or I’ll be upset. You locker number is 27, that’s the combination. Throw it when you’re done and then join me in the centre for warm up. With that, she walked away. Adrien noted the way everyone cleared a path for her. It was shocking as much as it was expected, though it was moments like this that he didn’t understand why she was all that bad.

Following what she said, he threw the paper away, and then headed to where Chloe was. He noticed the way every girl wore the same dancewear. It was the standard black sleeveless leotard with ballet tights and pointe. The boys were the same. They wore black tights, white shirt tucked in and back ballet shoes. The only difference between him and the rest was his shirt wasn’t a shirt. It was more of a singlet. He hated sleeves and was sure that it would be okay. The closer he went to the centre, the more the whispers began. He heard words like ‘Agreste’ and ‘model’ as well as ‘rich’. It irritated him, but he remained with the unsure smile on his face. He was so close to reaching his destination, but something disrupted him. On the second floor, a set of doors flew open. Everyone immediately quieted down and people gathered to the centre of the room.

The figure descended down the stairs. On instinct, Adrien bowed, and he was correct to do so as every student followed in suit (the girls doing curtsey). The man stood with great posture, clearly a dancer in prime. He looked to be in his late 40s to early 50s. Adrien recognised him immediately. It was Monsieur Kanevets, the globally recognised dance teacher.

“Good afternoon. Those who are new or just transferred, I am Monsieur Kanevets and I teach the high school dance department: practical. I know there is this unspoken hierarchy but when you’re in my class, you are all equal. Before we start, Chloe Bourgeois.” He called on. “Your father has requested private lessons for you. Please follow the Madame over there.” Everyone could see how irritated Chloe was, but she obeyed. And left the room. His gaze followed her, and it was only after she left the room, he continued.

“Although I say everyone is equal, we will be divided into year groups of syllabus work as everyone are on different levels. This year I’ll be taking be taking the seconde year since they too will have to step up their game if they even want the chance to go to London next year.” There was a grumble from the seniors, but it quickly died down. “My class, follow me,” he stated in tone the was soked in authority. Adrien absently followed as they made their way to far side of the room.

“Now I heard we had an interesting transfer this year, would you like to step forward,” Monsieur Kanevets asked though he knew it wasn’t really a question. He stepped to the side and presented the teen with a spot next to him up front. Adrien, who was nervous to new extents, showed a calm exterior as he made his way to the front. The man smiled warmly. If Adrien didn’t know any better, he would have thought it was sincere.

“I know your father, best costume designer I’ve ever met. It’s a pleasure to meet his son. I’d like everyone to meet Adrien Agreste.” The class clapped in response though he did spot one girl in particular who didn’t. If he wasn’t mistaken, she was in his regular classes.

“As much I’d like to be friendly, I need to see what you can do in terms of partner dancing.” He turned to the class. “Who is the best female dancer here?” The class muttered and shifted till there was a clear path between Adrien and his one classmate he recognised. The man smiled warmly. Adrien wasn’t sure this time if it actually sincere. “Ahh, I remember you. You fell over while getting on stage for auditions for the scholarship last year. It was such a shame you didn’t win. I actually though you were a lost cause. That was till you started dancing. You’re truly a catch. Step forward.”

The praise was something even Adrien wanted to know more about. He wanted to see her dance the night away with him as her partner. He never really got to dance often with someone else, so it excited him.

“Since your class has faith in your skills and I believe Adrien has the skills, you two will be sitting out on syllabus and will be representing the grade in the mock exams. Have a play around with Swan Lake, 1967’s choreo to get a feel of each other.” The class snickered though the teacher didn’t even notice. “You’ll be choosing two students for theory department to choreograph your actual performance. Since not a single one of this years dance department chose theory, you’ll need to choose two première students. It may be tough but prevail and choose wisely. We wouldn’t want them to throw the mini competition just because you’re seconde students. Now head over there. Tomorrow I’ll be organising a small studio for your rehearsals.” He pointed to his left and the two nodded, heading to the allocated spot. Adrien’s mind immediately flickered to Plagg. He almost couldn’t contain his excitement.

“I’m Marinette,” the girl extended a hand. Adrien met her hand halfway. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Adrien responded, giving the most genuine smile he could muster up. He didn’t know why but he loved her eyes but he one thing was for sure, he wanted to gaze at it forever. With that, they began rehearsals for the mini competition. The knew nothing about what the theme was, time limit, stage size, etc. All they knew was they both needed to win.


	4. First Dance Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update (though i don't have a set schedule) drowning in math.

The sound of the door swung open and Plagg knew it was. Who else would it be? He could hear how his feet dragged across the ground and he was sure he knew why. Despite this, the said teen refused to remove his eyes away from the screen. His roommate sighed purposely loud as he plonked himself onto the couch beside him. Plagg still ignored it. He was close to beating Adrien’s score. The blonde sighed again, more loudly then the last. And then again, and again till Plagg was literally about loose his cool. Basically smashing the pause button, he turned to Adrien.

“Where’s the cheese?” Adrien handed him the camembert wheel and Plagg stood up and headed up to the kitchen. It was nothing out of the ordinary it was how their exchanges went. Adrien gave him cheese and Plagg would listen.

“Proceed,” Plagg called from the kitchen. He was cutting up cheese wheel into equal wedges. To say Plagg loved cheese was an understatement. He loved anything with cheese but above all, he preferred cheese as just cheese. The wheel, the block, the slice. Though Plagg never said what type he preferred, it didn’t take Adrien long to figure out one of his favourites. Plagg appreciated how well he was able to pick up his habits. He did however, hated how oblivious he was with basically everything else.

“I’m literally hated Plagg. I don’t understand. So what if I’m friends with Chloe? It shouldn’t really be too big of a deal,” Adrien complained as he ran his hand through his neat blonde locks. He knew what he was doing. It was subtle but Plagg was more observant then he let on.

“Told you so. She reeks of misfortune. Trust me, I know it better then anyone else,” Plagg commented as he placed the cut up wedges on plate and made his way back to the couch.

“I need to prove I’m different to what they think I am,” Adrien jumped up in passion and determination. Plagg used this opportunity to lie down on the couch, taking up all the space. Adrien didn’t seep to mind, instead sitting on the coffee table across him. Plagg leaned on his left hand while using the right to feed himself his food. Plagg saw another sign. It was to easy to spot them.

“Anything else you want to complain about?” Plagg asked sarcastically. Adrien being Adrien didn’t seem to pick up the sarcasm and just sighed.

“You know how I didn’t want to stand out? Well I’ve been chosen to perform on behalf of our grade along with this girl. I don’t think she hates me, but I also don’t think she likes me.” Adrien looked like he was gonna sigh again but he didn’t. “I wish I could do something to just take my mind off all this stress,” Adrien wondered aloud. Plagg knew what he wanted, he knew. He could see all the signs too. It was Plagg’s turn to sigh. Eating the only remaining wedge of cheese, Plagg sat up on the couch glaring at Adrien.

“Cause I’m in a good mood,” Plagg said as he stood up and headed to the guest bedroom. Adrien’s face lit up at that and he swiftly followed in pursuit. By the time he entered, a familiar outfit was laid out on the bed. Plagg’s head was still in the closet as he threw different items of clothing, all clothing sticking with a specific colour coding. “Put those shorts on, and that t-shirt on,” Plagg instructed and Adrien complied. While Adrien got dressed, the other teen went to the dressing table and pulled out the water spray, hair dryer and some other hair products.

After a couple of minutes, Adrien was dressed in the clothes Plagg had selected. He wore a simple black workout shirt and black ¾ sweatpants with an emerald green draw string messily in a bow. Adrien continued to play with the back fingerless gloves that had four green spots by each finger. Plagg signalled the teen to sit in front on the chair in front of the dressing table. Adrien complied as he sat facing the mirror. Plagg immediately got to work. Starting with his hair, he dampened it with the water spray and began to comb through the neat hair.

“Why do you use so much hair product? It’s irritating,” Plagg grumbled. Adrien laughed a little. He knew the reason but couldn’t help but complain.

“It’s a habit. Remember how I was almost recognised as in New York? Imagine if that dude actually connected the dots. I wasn’t very liked by him,” Adrien justified. Plagg could feel the atmosphere suddenly go grim and he hated it. It wasn’t very ‘Adrien like’. That was Plagg’s thing. Plagg opened a jar of hair gum and scooped a little into his hand. He sprayed a little water and rubbed his hands together, before running his hand through his hair. Ruffling it till it looked like a natural mess, Plagg began to hum quietly to himself. A song too familiar to Adrien. He had asked once but Plagg got all moody though he said something about _‘I don’t reminisce in the past.’_ It was the one only time Adrien ever brought it up and Plagg was somewhat glad that he didn’t.

“Face me,” Plagg commanded and once again, Adrien complied. He swung the chair around and Plagg kneeled down, a small mixture of black inking at hand. He began applying it to the upper half of his face. It was Adrien’s mask of sort. After he was done, Plagg stepped back.

“Thanks Plagg.” Adrien smiled, though his eyes remained close. Plagg nodded, knowing Adrien couldn’t see him acknowledge his thanks.

“You know the drill, sit there while I get ready myself.” Plagg instructed and Adrien nodded, still wearing the goofy grin. Plagg sighed as he walked out of the door. It had been less than a week since he and Adrien moved to Paris. Unlike the former, it was his first time actually in Paris. Despite that, Plagg spoke fluently in French and for that reason, Adrien was the little stray who followed him back in New York. In fact he spoke several languages that Adrien had to yet know about. It would surely shock his roommate, who he knows the impression he gives off is lazy and unproductive. Adrien swears it destiny that Plagg found Adrien that fateful night but Plagg never acknowledged it. Why would he lie to the oblivious boy?

Plagg entered his room and began getting changed. His rather simplistic room was classified as ‘fully decorated’ to him though. Even before moving, Plagg had became Adrien’s unofficial roommate. Since that dick of a father was always overseas, Plagg somehow found himself living in one of the many guest bedrooms. Imagine the shock Adrien got when he realised how clean Plagg was.

Plagg threw on a plain black button up dress shirt. He buttoned just over half of in, exposing part of his chest. He rolled up his sleeves to ¾ length and then threw on a pair of black dress pants held by a black leather belt. Sitting down, Plagg put on simple back dress boots and to finish off his outfit, he slid on a pair of black ears.

When Plagg first wore these ears, Adrien basically died of laughter which irritated Plagg to new levels. It eventually made Adrien happy, saying that they matched. He never questioned it though. Adrien was smart that way. He often knew when and when not to ask and when it came to Plagg’s past, it was one of those things you never ask about.

Plagg walked back into the room he left Adrien quietly. Out of nowhere he slammed the door shut, causing him to fall off his chair. Plagg smirked as Adrien was mentally sending him a threats and curses. It was almost too funny though and he made no effort to hide it. Plagg headed to the closet and grabbed the last item of clothing to finish the outfit.

Adrien, though still annoyed, stood up and walked to Plagg. He grabbed the last item of clothing and slipped it on. The shrug was predominantly black, with green outlining the edge. Its collar had two buttons on each side for the hood that Plagg was probably still trying to find. It had short sleeves as well as a short overall length. It had Plagg’s signature design of a paw print on the right side which was o every variation Plagg dressed him in.

“Don’t let this fall off. It’s hard to maintain that shape,” Plagg said as he tossed the attachable hoodie to him. Adrien nodded in understanding as he connected the hoodie to the shrug before throwing it over his head. It followed the same design as the shrug with the unique design of a pair of cat ears. Though it sounded cheesy, it was actually pretty cool.

“Before you scar my name, I want to check your skills aren’t too rusty Chat Noir,” Plagg commented. He nodded in understanding as he stood and the minimal requirement to leave with Plagg. Readying himself to do a back handspring, back tuck. It was instantaneous and with that, Plagg was satisfied.

It was bordering 7:00pm, no sun lighting the sky. It was the perfect cover for the two teens to make their move. It was routine for them, only difference was the two were in foreign grounds. Chat Noir exited via the widow and to the roof tops of Paris, a skill he had developed with Plagg’s guidance. This gave Plagg the privacy he needed. He would text Adrien the address of the next battle if there was any but until then, he left Adrien to have some fun and clear the day from his mind.

An empty apartment suited Plagg. When he was sure Adrien was far away, he walked back to his room. Although he and Adrien were close, Adrien had no idea who Plagg really was. Logging on to his personal computer, Plagg opened the web and searched the words ‘AKA Dance’, a seemingly normal dancers guide to basic dance moves and tricks. Although it appeared that way, only the specially selected knew their way through this website. A few clicks and some passwords as well as voice recognition, the page rearranged into something entirely different. If someone was to copy the URL, it would lead to a dead end. An untraceable website that was basically impossible to hack all created for them. Plagg opened the alerts he had gotten and saw the that ‘ _The_Guardian’_ had sent him a text about Hawkmoth’s recent activity in New York. Plagg sighed.

 _‘I knew I forgot to tell him something,’_ Plagg thought to himself as he began to type back to the user. He scrolled through all his conversations. He wasn’t like some of the others who were constantly on and chatting. Besides _‘The_Guardian’_ or someone for business only, the last person he talked to just because was _‘Redlady123’_ but that was over three years ago. It was the sound of a notification that alerted him.

**_The_Guardian:_ ** _What a surprise and how lucky you are. There is word that Hawkmoth’s workers are on the move near xxxxx. I’ll organise a new Kwami to head over to New York and take over your area._

**_MidnightBloom:_ ** _Ok_

Plagg grabbed his phone from his pocket, then texted the address to Chat before exiting out of the tab and climbing out the window. Being the penthouse of the building, it wasn’t hard for him to lift himself up to the roof and run across the roof tops of Paris. It was one of his favourite places in the world for two reasons. One being the cheese and two being how close together all the buildings were. It made Parkouring easier.

It didn’t take long for him to arrive on the building over the gathering of people. It was no surprise it was taking place in alley in the Red Light district. Plagg himself never understood how people other than himself found out about these battles. He spotted Adrien-Chat Noir near a girl with hair almost black but not quite. It seemed as though Chat didn’t notice her as he seemed to focus on what was to come. Her hair was done in two pigtails and she too was disguised. He felt himself shift at the sight uncomfortably. It could be a mere coincidence but he himself couldn’t be convinced.

“It’s the guy while all the moves, an associate with the ruler of the underworld, Hawkmoth, its Pigeonman!” The announcer called via his set up speakers. The crowd booed as he made his way into the circle. Why wouldn’t they? Plagg sniggered at the reaction of the crowd.

“And to the right is the protector of Paris, the girl who’s single handedly winning back all the districts, it’s the one who’s risking her very name to fight for our dancing freedom, it’s the one and only Ladybug!” The crowd cheered and cheered like crazy as a path opened up for her to hit the ring.

 _‘Please be a coincidence’_ Plagg mentally prayed as he diverted his gazed to Adrien, who was not all that happy _. ‘Now I’m sure I’m gonna get an earful of complaints tonight.’_

He continued to watch the crowd below but quickly looked away when he saw movement on the other side of the building. There she sat, legs hanging off the side of the building as she watched with a prideful smile that he remembered all too well. His hunch was right but it wasn’t something to be all that happy about. Thinking back, he thought it was the right decision but really wasn’t. Instead of protecting her, he just broke her more than she already was. The girl’s smile twisted into a look of anger and somewhat panic. Plagg followed her gaze back down.

“Hold on just a second little lady.” Pigeonman had taken the microphone off the MC. “I won’t accept this battle because today, for I come in a package and unless you find someone willing to put on the stakes their freedom, you’ll not be taking my title away,” he said in a smug way. He could see how Chat shifted and Plagg knew what that meant. It was a sign that ‘Adrien’ was no more. The idol son, prodigy good boy, well-mannered teen disappeared, and an alternate side took over. A make over can only disguise so much, it’s the way one presents themselves that really makes Adrien become Chat Noir.

“I believe the Lady is in luck,” Chat Noir voiced, and all eyes focused to him. He stood at the back of the crowd, but it didn’t take long for a path to clear. “I happen to think is a puurrfect way to debut in Paris.”

“I don’t think you understand what’s at stake here, best you keep your paws to yourself,” Ladybug suggested though it sounded more like a command. Plagg couldn’t help but wonder what sort of a person she was. _Her_ chosen had to be miraculous. He settled to watch the seen unfold.

“Believe it or not, but its not the first time I’ve had to deal with this difficult lot of goons,” Chat started as he began to stretch, more for show then anything else. “Besides, I don’t think you have a choice.” Ladybug sighed, contemplating all the worse situations.

“don’t go dragging me down kitten,” she grinned in confidence. She was met by Chat’s famous flirty smile.

“Wouldn’t dream of it beautiful.” The beat picked up and Ladybug hit the ring first. She began picking the beat up as her body freely moved to music. It came to surprise when she suddenly went into a back hand spring, before pulling out her real moves.

Tag-battles were usually a battle between the opponents where each person cycles between the two teams, having 30-45 seconds to show what they got. Where things get tricky was during the final round where each team must perform something together with no practice. The winner is decided by the crowd and even though many street dancers hate Hawkmoth, they would prefer to answer honestly then lie. Most of the time, it’s pretty definite who wins but in the rare cases that it isn’t, that is when the things get can out of hand. That’s not to say things only get out of hand during those cases only.

Plagg watched as Adrien just finished with a windmill into a freeze. It was clean though Plagg knew he had something on his mind. Pigeonman’s no named associate wasn’t a pushover and it was clear that the final round would decide it. The hardest part of street dancing is the dances have no idea what style or song will be used and therefore no preparations can be made. It was the other teams turn to start and as Plagg evaluated them, he spotted only a few minor flaws though their flow together seemed off. It was clear to anyone that they had no connection to each other prior to the performance.

Time finished, and the performance was wrapped up neatly. Plagg took the opportunity to look over to the other building. Despite how dark it was, he could see the way she bit her lip. He could see how nervous she was yet she was still trying to hide it. Hide it like she always does. He reluctantly brought his gaze back to the crowd as the two masked dancers headed to the centre. As the beat picked up, Ladybug began the Topock. Chat followed in suit as the two looked at each other. It was when the beat dropped, it seemed they both had the same ideas.

Their messy beginning suddenly was brought together when Ladybug ran towards Chat and jumped. Simultaneously, Chat had prepped himself and used his hands so when she landed on them, he could launch her into the air. A million disastrous outcomes could have occurred, but it didn’t. It was like they were made to dance with each other and Plagg had only ever seen/felt that sort of chemistry in dance one other time. It seemed to be the same for the girl on the other roof as she too had mixture of complicated feeling on her face.

As Chat launched Ladybug into the air, she performed a back layout step out. It was a sight to see. From there, they became more in sync with each other. The crowd was mesmerised as how two strangers were able to pull off move after move as if they practiced. Anyone who didn’t see what happened earlier, they’d probably think they’ve been partners for ages. Before anyone knew it, they wrapped up as they strike their final pose.

The crowd literally erupted and it was clear to everyone who won. People began to file their way to the dance floor to provide their congratulations. Plagg glanced noticing how their time was up. He was going to send the warning text when he spotted Pigeonman ready to throw a coward’s punch directly at the back of Chat Noir’s head. It was instantaneous as Plagg had jumped down and ran to stop the fist. It seemed as he wasn’t the only one who had that idea because his had grabbed not the man’s hand. It was soft and delicate, something he missed all too much. The hand had beaten him to it and it was if time stood still. After three years their eyes met and a voice he wished to forget came rushing back as she uttered his name.

“Plagg?” her voice coated with confusion and surprise.

“Long time no see Tikki?” Though he tried to sound cool and uncaring, though Plagg was literally dying, wishing he didn’t see her today or ever. Their moment was short lived as their other hands were being grabbed and dragged away. He almost didn’t let go. Facing to the teen holding him, he saw a face he knew all too well. Plagg knew he was someone distracted during his solo but it made sense. He could see it, the face of someone who was in love. A face, Plagg himself had worked hard to hide but was sure he looked like Chat too. He wasn’t over her but he was sure she was over him.

_‘The kid’s in love with Ladybug, seems we're more alike than i thought.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good at describing outfits. If you're unsure of what Adrien's Chat Noir outfit is, just look him up with 'dance AU' in Google something. I tried.


	5. Transfer Student 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been done for a while but I wasn't bothered. Now I am, so without further delay, here it is.

Tikki’s mind swirled with confusion and fear with a hint of happiness. A distant voice continuously called for her and it took a minute bring herself back to reality. She tried to process what had happened. Tikki remembered Marinette in their dorm room complaining about a bunch of _‘Adrien’_ related issues. She remembered dressing the said girl in her alter ego outfit known as Ladybug. She remembered seeing a cat-inspired outfit that reminded her of a special someone. Then it came back. Tikki remembered jumping into action, trying to block the mysterious dancer boy. The way his hand wrapped hers, the familiar warmth that she almost longed for. It belonged to the one and only Plagg. Her treasured friend that betrayed her feelings. The thought alone her hurt right in the heart despite getting over it. The incident forever lingers within her. Their broken friendship there too.

“Tikki!” The voice finally reaching the dazed girl, startling her for the most part. Tikki blinked one last time before regaining her senses and looking at her friend.

“Where are we Marinette?” Tikki questioned. It was the first words she had spoken since she saw Plagg. Marinette sighed as she undid her pigtails.

“We’re at the dorms, what happened to you? You were suddenly on ground level, a place you never go unless you suspect a brawl will break out. I literally dragged you away cause I know how you don’t do too well in crowds. You haven’t stopped staring at the wall. I thought you were having one of your moments. I was worried,” Marinette finished with a sigh. She was overly exhausted not to mention the literal heart attack she was experiencing just moments before had her thinking of all the worst case scenarios.

“I’m okay, just a little frazzled with something,” Tikki tried to reassure as she smiled at her friend. Marinette wasn’t quite buying. “What I really want to know is who that cat was. He was quite the dancer if you ask me.” It was obvious that Tikki was trying to change the direction of the conversation and either Marinette didn’t notice or thought it would be better to ditch the other topic.

“I don’t really know, I don’t even know his name. I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again. I really think we can be something great.”

“I’m sure that if you were supposed to be some ultimate team, you’ll see him soon.” Tikki reassured. Marinette was still a bit sceptical but she shook her head trying to think positively. “I think you should take a shower and then head to sleep.” Tikki suggested and Marinette just nodded as she began to make her way to the bathroom.

The next day rolled around and as per usual, Tikki had woken up early and began to get ready. Silently, she slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom. She looked herself in the mirror and sighed at the heavy eyebags she would later need to cover. Her normally sparkling deep sea blue eyes were replaced with lifeless ones. She had made the decision that today if she saw him, they’d reconcile so she could finally get some closure.

Hopping into the shower, Tikki washed all the grime she got while running the roof tops the night before. It only took her a few minutes to get out. She exited the warmth of the shower and went to get dressed. She threw on her usual outfit that consisted of an overside red jumper patterned with black spots that was tucked into black high waist shorts.

She then started the process of fixing up her damp hair. Her naturally red hair that was dyed black tips was cut just above the shoulders. Tikki plugged the hairdryer in and began to work. She considered herself lucky. Unlike Marinette, Tikki had hair that took only a couple of minutes to fix. When she finally finished, her had a natural wave to it, bangs covering her forehead. Satisfied, she headed out find Marinette in deep sleep. Wanting to give her friend just a couple more minutes of sleep, she decided to add the final touches of her outfit.

She pulled on her knee high socks, and low cut converse that was the same colour as her jumper. Lastly, she placer the simplistic choker around her neck. Happy, she had no other choice then to attempt to wake her friend that was currently sleeping like a log. Taking long strides to Marinette’s bed, Tikki went to her and prepared for a fight.

“Time to wake up Marinette.” Tikki gently shook the girl but it was pointless. She debated on whether or not she should call Alya. Alya was the only other person in the whole school who knew that Marinette and Tikki were roommates. Majority of the seconde students believed that Marinette didn’t have a roommate and all the première students believed Tikki didn’t have one either. It’s not like they’re hiding it from the school. In fact, the school, for reasons unknown to Marinette, put the two together.

Nudging the girl again, Marinette began to stir ever so slightly. It was small but it was progress. It took another 10 minutes to get the girl out of bed. This was why neither of them ever got to have breakfast like the rest of the school.

Because the school was a boarding school, the cafeteria opened at 6:00am everyday so the students had the option to eat something before school. Since moving to the school last year, Tikki had only been to the cafeteria once in the morning. It’s not like she was complaining though. She’d rather not have to deal with all the students in her year group. She much preferred spending time with Marinette and occasionally, Alya too. 

The rest of the morning was a blur, composed of panicking Marinette and a raging Alya who came a few minutes before class started to force drag her friend to class. This left Tikki to go to class with only minutes to spare. Every other day, she would normally be met by the classes sudden silence the moment she entered. It was something she had grown accustom to. Today however, was different for two main reasons. One being the classes unchanged chatter when she entered, and two being that there was someone hanging near her desk. The desk beside that was normally empty, which she was used to, was filled and surrounded by a group of people. Some were her classmates, others were from the classes a few doors down from hers. It was when she drew near, the group began to quiet down to mere whispers. She knew it.

_‘A new kid? This is where it all begins,’_ Tikki thought to herself as she slowly approached her desk. She knew exactly what they were gonna tell the new kid. It’s nothing different. It wasn’t uncommon for people to come to this school and leave only a couple of months later. The school wasn’t something outsiders could deal with. The thing was, there was this rumour floating around the première students that if the new kid ever talked to Tikki, they were sure to leave. It was obviously a lie but its not like anyone would believe her. Besides, Tikki had been through way worse so something like rumours were nothing to her.

“Oh, she’s coming. Its best you don’t stay in that seat.”

“We can move the seat to our desk and squeeze you in.”

“Be careful. She’s cursed. If you talk to her, you’re sure to leave the school soon after.”

“She’s also pretty weird.”

“She even hangs around the younger years. She’s literally an alien compared to us.”

“I heard that when she says she’s in the nurse’s office, she’s actually off skipping class on the roof.”

“Must be ungrateful to her parents.”

It was those hurtful comments that sometimes trigger this feeling of fear. She didn’t mind being excluded, or left out or had rumours about her. It was those sort of comments that brought up her dark past that she tries so hard to keep from Marinette. Tikki drew in a shaky breathe and smiled. She just needed to wait till they all left and then she’ll be left alone. All she needed was the new kid to say the words and they’ll wiz him away to the opposite side of the classroom. No nice words ever came from her classmates.

“I’d like to meet this walking disaster for myself.” Or so she thought. It wasn’t exactly a compliment, but then again, it wasn’t quite an insult either. But that wasn’t the most surprising thing, nor was it the way everyone reacted when he said those words. No, it was his voice. The voice that had been lingering since yesterday. Suddenly her resolve to make peace with this person, began to fade. 

“Plagg?” She found her voice calling out against her will. She saw the way the students parted like the red sea and how the boy jerked slightly at the sound of her voice. Though he wasn’t facing her, she could tell he was contemplating what to do next and that is what scared her. What if he said something about their past in front of the class? What if he pretended he didn’t know her? All these doubts washed away with one sentence. She suddenly remembered a time before everything happened, before the drama, before the separation, before the heartbreak. A time when everything was so much more simple. A time when they considered each other to be almost siblings. A time when their other feelings weren’t in the way.

“Hey sugarcube.” Plagg turned to give one of his typical cheeky grins. The type of grin that you’d see on someone who’s up to no good. To anyone around them, they probably thought it was some cheesy attempt to flirt or some kind of pet name but the two of them knew better. A meaning that surpasses this idea of romance. A friendship that was almost like siblings. Once again, Tikki felt herself move against her will as she smiled for the first time in front of her classmates. A genuine smile that literally radiated the sun. It was the sought of smile every guy would fall for. Despite his confidence, she could hear the slight waver in his voice. He was the same Plagg but at the same time different. She felt a sort of relief that he was making an effort – something he never did – so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable, but at the same time, he was nervous like her. That was the bigger relief. That he felt something he couldn’t forget, like guilt lingering over him. Call her selfish but she didn’t want what happened to be forgotten easily. Like the saying goes ‘forgiven but not forgotten.’

“I’ve told you not to call me that,” Tikki whispered as walked past her classmates and too her desk. Every step reignited a stabbing pain to her heart but at the same time, the heart’s old wounds were somewhat patching up. They weren’t healing, wound like that don’t heal easy, but it was giving something like relief for only a moment. It took her a moment to realise that she was now standing in front of the boy who she loved more then the world itself. “Do you ever hear me calling you stinky sock?” The words felt so right and she couldn’t hide the teasing voice.

“No, but you should. That would be delightful, sugarcube,” Plagg challenged that was almost flirting but not quite. It took her a moment to remember where she was. It was when slight _‘yelp’_ shocked everyone. Their homeroom teacher had walked in accidently dropping the glass bottle he was holding, smashing it.

A rush of thoughts flickered across Plagg’s face and she knew what was happening. She wondered how often it happened to him. The feeling she had gotten so good at hiding. Plagg’s eyes flickered panic, pain, and remembering something that happened deep in his past. She wasn’t sure how he’d react but one thing was for sure, she needed to get him out and calm him because if she remembered correctly, he could get quite aggressive when he remembers the particular part that tapped his memory.

With no hesitation, Tikki had pulled him away from the classroom and to the closest roof exit. The clouds reflect all the conflicting emotions Tikki had at that exact moment. The confusion, the pain she felt for and from him as well as the uncontrollable spots of light shining though like how she felt bits of happiness. Most importantly though, she had this massive grey cloud of worry hanging over her. It had been years since she had seen Plagg break like that but it was something not easily forgotten. The true question was which way he’d react.

She sat him against the wall and stepped back to see if something would happen. She was broken but so was he. Be it worse or not, she knew what it was like to be without any support in these situations. It was hard and overbearing. She remember that one time Plagg was frozen for a solid hour, reliving the events. Another time, he lost all rational thought and became a violent mess till she was able to snap him out. After a few minutes, she approached him.

“It’s okay, its okay. That was along time ago.” Tikki continued to say calming words as she cautiously approached. All was in vain when Plagg had abruptly stood up and shoved her back. She could see the distress in her eyes and couldn’t help but empathise with him. Here she was, thinking it would be nearly impossible for things to go back to the way it was for the two of them. That thought was replaced with the familiar feeling of warmth and family love.

“Stay back!” Plagg yelled as he grabbed the closest thing to him and hurled it towards her. The said item just so happened to be an empty can. Tikki was lucky enough for it to miss her face but if it was actually aimed directly at her, she wouldn’t try to dodge. She couldn’t. She needed Plagg to differentiate her from his memories and to do that, she needed to act differently then what they did.

With every step she took, the more the more ragged his breathing became. She eventually stopped when Plagg was in arms reach. She could see the betrayal, fear, anger and resentment all mixed together in his eyes.

“It’s okay Plagg. Listen to my voice, listen to my voice.” She punctuated every word in a clear unwavering voice. Plagg could literally lash out at her yet she had confidence that wouldn’t happen but that didn’t mean she didn’t fear it. The first time it happened was a few months after the two met. From there, it became more and more frequent and that was when she created a method of calming.

_‘That’s it!’_ Tikki thought as she remembered the song.

The rest of the day went by in flash and frankly, Tikki remembered pretty much nothing in any of the lessons. It was hard considering the new presence in the classroom. Lunch rolled and she watched every person rush out the door till it was just her and the new kid.

“Are you gonna stay here?” Plagg asked. The teen sat on his chair, legs thrown on top of the desk. He made no effort to make eye contact while he continued to text on his friends.

“Omg! You have friends that actually want to talk to you?!” Tikki said genuinely shocked noticing the way he was actually texting someone. It used to be just her he’d text. Then again, that was a long time ago. The comment had seem to embarrass Plagg to a certain degree which made Tikki all the more satisfied.

“Shut up!” Plagg had said slightly louder then intended. “I haven’t gotten around to telling the kid the full truth yet. I’ll get around to that eventually though. For now, I’m his friend that just so happened to drag him into a new side of the world.” Tikki knew he felt somewhat ashamed. Their chosen should have been able to choose if they wanted this kind of life. Tikki knew how he felt cause she was no better. She never told Marinette what she was getting into nor that their meeting was no coincidence.

“It’s okay, I’m the same,” Tikki started off. She notice the way his whole body relaxed which relieved her. But then a mischievous smile took over his face.

“I guess the goody two shoes can actually disobey the Gaudian?” Plagg mused which irritated her to new ends.

“Oh whatever,” Tikki brushed off which made Plagg feel somewhat successful.

“I also see that your style hasn’t changed. Your obsession over ladybugs are shocking.”

_‘He hasn’t forgotten,’_ Tikki thought causing a smile to creep its way to her face.

“I can say the same about you. You still love those black cats. Let me guess, your chosen chose the name _‘Chat Noir’_ or something,” Tikki said. It seemed she hit the nail right on the head.

“It’s a good and relevant name,” Plagg defended. Tikki was shocked to say the least.

“I actually guessed it? Guess your chosen isn’t all that creative.”

“I bet your chosen is called ‘Ladybug’,” Plagg retorted.

“It’s a good and relevant name,” Tikki mocked.

“Touché.”

“Besides, my chosen is probably much better then yours,” Tikki boasted which was met with a simple shrug.

“She probably is,” Plagg had lazily said. Tikki saw the way his face remained straight. She knew what that met. Tikki had erupted in giggles. Plagg looked at her offended.

“What?” Plagg asked wondering what was so funny.

“Nothing,” Tikki had manage to say through her laughs. Once she had calmed down, she continued. “I just find it adorable that you actually like your chosen considering you’re well, you. Besides, if you really hate the kid, you’d actually boast about how ‘great’ he is. Not agree mine is better, though she is.”

“That’s a lie,” Plagg muttered which caused Tikki to laugh again. It wasn’t long before Plagg too was laughing. It all came to a halt when Plagg noticed a presence just beyond the door. “Tikki, someone’s watching us,” Plagg whispered. Tikki smiled.

“It probably my friend. Pretty sure you’ve of the hierarchy in our school right? Since people found out I have a friend in the year below, I haven’t been able to make any friends. Its not as bad now though. They might have thought I’ve ditched the friend but really, I just meet up with her in secret. It’s probably best for you to stay away from me and any of the years below.” Tikki finished with a gentle smile.

“I’m guessing I should leave then, guess I’ll see you in dance,” Plagg stated. As he stood up and began heading to the door, he abruptly stopped and looked back. “It’s kinda too late for that. I just so happen to be heading to meet someone in the years below.” With that, Plagg left the classroom. Within a few minutes, Marinette walked through the doors.

“Who was he? Is he your Mr. Right?”

“I met him before but nothing more than that.”

“Really?” Marinette pressed. Tikki didn’t like secrets but it was one of those issues that she never liked talking about.

“Yeah, nothing.” Marinette pouted causing Tikki to giggle softly. “Enough about that. You still hating on Adrien?” Tikki asked. She took note on the way Marinette slouched.

“You have no idea. How can such an evil person have the face of an angel. He even goes as far to pretend he’s nice but in reality, he’s just like Chloe.”

“Like I said, don’t go judging people before you know him. I’m good at judging people, well most of the time anyways. If I met the kid, maybe I’d understand.” Tikki advised. She could see the gears working in Marinette’s head as the said teen jumped up.

“That reminds me! I need you to do me a huge favour cause I don’t know who else to go to,” Marinette started off. “I know this is selfish but can you pretty, pretty please be a choreographer for my dance routine. Our grade doesn’t have any people that chose the theory side of dance. I really hope you can do this for me. I know it can make things worse of you and I know you-,” Marinette was cut off.

“I’ll do it.” Marinette was frozen for a solid minute before finally speaking.

“Really?” Marinette asked, want to be reassured.

“Yes Marinette. It’s not like my class will even care about my absence and I much prefer to hang with my friend.”

“But there is a problem,” Marinette said quietly. Marinette ushered her to continue. “You see, Adrien gets to pick the other choreographer since he too wanted choose someone so you’ll be working with someone.”

“It’s fine, I assure you.” Tikki smiled and Marinette leaned over to hug her dear friend.

“Thank you so much! I guess I need to head over to the changerooms. Meet me in Studio C-3. Maybe you should change into your comfy outfit.” Before she knew it, Marinette had flown out the door. Tikki glanced at her phone to check the time.

_‘Only five minutes left? Where did the time go? That’s right, we were held back in class,_ ’ Tikki thought.

She began her journey to the senior theory change rooms. Theory students had the option to change clothing but almost everyone chose to stay in their own clothes since there wasn’t really any major movement in it. She entered the room and headed towards the back. It took her till the bell for her to finish getting dressed. By the time she had the left the changerooms, the hallways had cleared. Navigating her way to the studio, it took another five minutes. Opening the doors, she immediately sensed the tension.

“Sorry, I’m late,” Tikki politely excused as she entered. She saw the way Marinette lit up upon her arrival.

“You made it! I thought you might have had second thoughts,” Marinette said as she went to hug Tikki.

“Of course,” Tikki smiled.

“Hello, I’m Adrien. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Besides, the other guy isn’t here so you’re not late. I wonder where the guy is at. Maybe sleeping,” Adrien chuckled as he offered a hand to shake. Tikki met the teens hand with her own and smiled. Before she could say anything though, the door open rather loudly.

“I’m here,” The voice announced.

_‘Are you serious?’_ Tikki thought knowing the voice all too well.

“Speak of the devil, there he is. Marinette this is Plagg. He’s here to help,” Adrien introduced.

“Yeah, yeah. I think the girl over there has got it handled. Imma take a nap,” The guy said as he headed to the far corner, throwing his bag before using it as a head rest.

“Plagg?! Are you serious,” Adrien complained. “I’m so sorry about him.”

“It’s okay Adrien. I can deal for now,” Tikki reassured with a smile. “Marinette asked me during lunch and since there is no set theme nor song, I’ve decided that we’re gonna do a romance story if that’s okay?” Tikki asked. Adrien and Marinette nodded though she could see the way Marinette didn’t really want to agree.

“You see, are school is very strict on the whole ‘traditional’ arts however, they’re like any other human being who yearn for something new yet the same. It’s about getting balance between classic and new. Kinda like classical with twist except less noticeable. I think we pull this off,” Tikki finished with a smile. “Lets start off with Swan Lake 1967. I want to see your dynamics.”

The two nodded as they got into position. Swan Lake had great choreography for duet especially the end sequence. It was perfect to see the dynamics between the two. The music began and the two danced it seemingly well though Tikki was not quite satisfied. When the song ended, the two dancers had finished, Marinette doing a penché en pointe in arabesque with Adrien and supporting her. Tikki thought for a second, evaluating their overall performance.

“Your overall Pas de Deux was good, really good. The technique was there and timing is not the problem you’re just missing the uh,” Tikki couldn’t seem to remember the word.

“What sugarcube is trying to say is that it’s bland for the trained eye,” Plagg inserted in though his eyes seemed to be closed.

“That’s not very nice Plagg and I told you not to call me that,” Tikki huffed. Plagg chucked.

“Whatever you say sugarcube.” Plagg waved off. Tikki rolled her eyes and continued.

“What Plagg meant by bland is there no connection. You can see obvious gap in relationship between you two. Especially since this is quite a romantic scene, you want to be able to give the audience a warm fuzzy feeling,” Tikki explained. She could tell by their expression that they were confused. “Do the dance again and I’ll film it.” The two teens nodded and went to position.

They danced while Tikki filmed and Plagg _‘slept’_. When the dance finished, the two teens went to watch themselves. To say the least, they were still confused. Really confused. Tikki sighed.

“Plagg come here,” Tikki sighed. Adrien was gonna say something along the lines of _‘he’s probably to lazy to’_ but his surprise, the black haired teen got up.

“Yeah?” He asked with a yawn.

“We’re gonna do the 1967 version of Swan Lake,” Tikki instructed. “Do you still know it?” She asked though she knew the answer.

“What do you take me for?” Plagg questioned. The two slipped on their dance shoes and went to their positions. The music began and the two were taken away by the music. It was clear to both Adrien and Marinette the difference between their dancers. It was on a whole other level compared to theirs. Their dancing told a story of their own. Tikki took an arabesque en pointe in front of Plagg. He then took one arm and wrapped it around her waist and the other around the thigh of the working leg, just above the knee. Plagg began to tilt Tikki downwards, bending his leg for support, while Tikki bent her supporting leg into parallel passé. It was held perfectly in position, eyes locked together.

It was at that moment that Tikki remembered why she didn’t dance as much anymore. The pain shot through her. It must have been noticeable enough for Plagg to see. He began to lower her down.

“That’s enough dancing for me today. You get the point; the difference is crystal clear. How you do it? A) be good at acting or B) build a connection. I’ve done my share so practice or something, I’m gonna sleep,” Plagg finished. He walked back to his corner and resumed his previous position. Adrien and Marinette had so many questions yet neither wanted asked while the other was present. Both Tikki and Plagg knew it and they knew a conversation was bound to happen but they wished to prolong such conversation for as long as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are you guys liking it so far? I'll be changing the summary since it sucks and there are so many grammatical errors.


	6. First Impressions Don't Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is gonna be good. Also, next chapter will either be following Alya or Nino but either way, its DJWifi's turn! Look forward to it!

Adrien collapsed on his bed and thought back on the day he had. To say the least, it was eventful. It started with the morning call he gets from Nathalie telling him that he would be going home to where his father is. Then he walked in to class late since Plagg wasn’t bothered to wake him up. It was already a rare occurrence for Plagg to wake up on time let alone early. Second day, and already being judged by everyone in his class. He knew well why they were doing it, it was just a matter of time till they decided on how they see him. Class dragged on forever and Adrien remembered nothing of it. When lunch rolled around, he was eager to get out. And get out he did. Gone out of the school premises and headed to the back of the building. One he did learn in class was how peaceful it looked under the tree behind school.

From there, Adrien sat texting and waiting for his lazy roommate. It took ages for Plagg to show up and Adrien remembered half ass excuse followed by an unmeaningful apology. It was then that Adrien subtly (not really) brought up the issue of him being the other choreographer. Him saying yes took some serious bribing.

Then there was the issue between Tikki and Plagg. They seemed to have known each other, but to what extent? It was shocking to say the least to see Plagg listen to someone let alone actually input helpful advice. They had this sort of connection that mesmerised him and by the looks of it, Marinette too. Either they were both professional actors or there was something between them. How did they meet? What happened to them? Who was she to him? All these thought were dispersed at the sound of the door opening.

“Adrien we need more cheese,” Plagg had said as he waltzed into Adrien room. It was no shocker for Plagg to enter without knocking. If he got a dollar for every time Plagg had walked in while he was getting dressed, he wouldn’t need his father’s money to survive.  Sitting up, he looked at Plagg.

“I’ll get it tomorrow on the way home from father’s house,” Adrien responded with a sigh.

“Huh?”

“Tomorrow I’m going to visit my father. You’ll have to wait till after that to get your cheese. I thought I already told you this, this morning.”

“You did, I just chose to forget,” Plagg smugly replies. Plagg has this sort of pride that can really irritate him. In fact, most of the time, Adrien sees him as just annoying person that never leaves. But it’s the rare occasions that make keeping him near worthwhile. To Adrien, Plagg is his escape from order, a friend that cares occasionally and someone who will help him through struggles in his own special way.

“How do you know Tikki?” Adrien asked out of the blue. He wasn’t gonna ask but curiosity killed the cat.

“Why are you so nosy?” Plagg retorted. Despite his answer, Adrien could tell Plagg was gonna do some story time with him. On the rare occasions Plagg shared his past, it was always said once and only ever once.

“Curiosity killed the cat?” Adrien responded, unsure of his answer. Moving over, Plagg took a seat next to him before fully lying down. It was a habit of his not to look people in eye when having important conversations. He sighed one last time, probably thinking of what to say, and began.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this but I was an orphan. I was around five, maybe six when I first met her. She was a strange one that’s for sure. She had arrived a month or so before me and to say the least, the other kids weren’t all that nice to her. She was always smiling despite being in such miserable situation and the kids there couldn’t seem to make her feel anything else. I had only been at the orphanage for a couple of days but something took me to the roof that night. Up behind one of the chimneys I could hear the sounds of someone’s cries. Turns out, the so called ‘happy’ girl, wasn’t all that happy. I guess that’s where our acquaintanceship began,” Plagg had explained.

“Is that why you’re so close to her?” Adrien asked innocently.

“That was a long time ago. We’re merely people who share somewhat of a similar past,” Plagg vaguely answered.

“It didn’t seem that way. You guys had this connection,” Adrien tried.

“Guess I’m a natural born actor,” Plagg had answered though it wasn’t the one Adrien was looking for.

“Sure,” Adrien sarcastically remarked. Plagg rolled his eyes in response. Taking a stand from the bed Plagg had said,

“I’ve shared enough tonight, I’m gonna go sleep.” With that, Plagg had left the room and Adrien was left alone. A part of him knew his friend was just trying to avoid the question, but Adrien was not bothered to follow after him. The day must have been more exhausting then he thought because the next thing he could remember, was waking up to the sound of his set alarm.

It echoed through the walls of his room until Adrien reluctantly rolled on his bed towards the alarm and snoozed it. Without Nathalie to wake him up, he had to drag not only himself, but Plagg as well to school. As he reluctantly got out of bed, Adrien began his daily routine. It started with the morning shower. That took about ten minutes before he exited, wrapping his towel around his waist. He then brushed his teeth and washed his face. Faces like his needed to be maintained. Once he was satisfied, Adrien began to get dressed in the rather large bathroom.

After throwing on his usual clothing, he exited the steaming room and headed for Plagg’s. As per usual, he was knocked out cold, just waiting for someone to wake him up (not really). Adrien made no effort to keep quiet as he swung the door open and walked to his roomate.  

“Plagg get up,” Adrien said, not wanting to deal. It had gotten to the point that Adrien had one of two tactics to get him up. “I’ll get you twice as much cheese this week since I’ll probably be modelling again,” Adrien bribed. This was option ‘A’; option ‘B’ wasn’t as benefitting.

“Fine,” Plagg had responded after a second of thinking, though Adrien knew he couldn’t resist. Plagg pushed himself out the comfort of his bed and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Adrien took it as a sign to say he was up, and excused himself out of the room. Now he needed to fix his hair. Walking into his bedroom, Adrien went to the mirror in his bedroom and began to comb his hair neatly to the side. His hair had a natural messy look that basically screamed his alter ego self. It was because of this, Adrien made sure that his hair would match is ‘perfect’ appearance. That and his father told him to always look his best since he is his son. Glancing up the mirror, Adrien scanned himself over and saw that he looked good. It took a moment for him to realise that he almost forgot the most important thing.

 _‘Shoot! Almost forgot,’_ Adrien thought walking out of the room.

He walked out and headed to the only bathroom in his apartment. Despite its huge size, it only had one bathroom in the living quarters and to be honest, it wasn’t nearly enough for the size. His apartment had four bedrooms with one master suit that was reserved for his father. Adrien’s father, Gabriel, had locked it before Adrien had even arrived to Paris. The second largest room was given to Adrien and the last two were labelled as ‘guest bedroom’ and ‘study’. The thing was, they weren’t actually being used for that purpose, but more accurately, the ‘study’ was Plagg’s bedroom and the ‘guest bedroom’ were they hid Chat Noir’s belongings.

There was actually three bathrooms in the apartment but only one was really used. The first one is the one in the centre of the apartment. It was the main one and the one where all their belongings were. The second one was the one in the studio. It wasn’t that practical since it basically was like one of those gym showers that ran for only a little while and a small sink and toilet cubical. The last one was located in the master bedroom. Adrien wasn’t allowed there but frankly, he couldn’t care less. It had been under a week and the only time they went to that half of the apartment, was to unpack Chat Noir’s belongings that Plagg had brought with his stuff since he wasn’t technically allowed to be staying there.

The rest of the house was above average to say the least. There was a moderate sized kitchen and one lounge room/games room. What made it truly amazing was the fact that Adrien has his own dance studio to work in. The building itself wasn’t anything spectacular but when it was decided that he would be moving back to his birth place, Gabriel had bought to apartments side by side and hired some of the best interior designers in Paris. It took half a year to finish construction, only two weeks prior to Adrien’s arrival. One week before, Nathalie worked on organising where all his belongings would go so he wouldn’t need to. She followed the plan in which Adrien had made – at his father’s request – so he wouldn’t be looking for anything when he moved in.

He could hear the shower running and honestly, it was weird. Plagg hated water for some reason and only showered when necessary. To Adrien, it felt like ‘Freaky Friday’ except it wasn’t Friday. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing though. As he was about to knock on the door, the door began to open and it revealed his friend.

In Adrien’s eye, Plagg was way more qualified to be a model if it weren’t for his super lazy, unproductive attitude, and the fact that his body was covered in scars. Other then that, his overall body shaped was perfect. He was taller than Adrien and had model’s body. He had this natural aura that draws people’s attention. His black hair was more wild then his that gave off a natural _‘bad boy’_ vibe which he wore perfectly. His eyes were so clear and natural that it complimented his overall perfect complexion. On the rare occasions he did smile, it could kill a girl. In terms of physical looks, Adrien thought he withered in comparison. Adrien was half a head shorter and didn’t have the abs he had. The aura he gave off was innocent and that always linked to childish in his mind. All his fans were his age so his marketing didn’t go beyond that target audience. It was the scars that always fascinated Adrien though. They were scattered about, covering almost every part of his tanned skin. Adrien wanted to ask about it but he knew asking it would be a bit too much and Adrien knew better then anyone what it feels when someone is breathing down your neck all the time.  

Plagg looked at Adrien, still half asleep with his towel being the only covering. He could see how shocked Adrien was and frowned slightly.

“Is it really that weird I took a shower?” Plagg asked insulted. Adrien stifled a laugh looking as the slightly annoyed, slightly embarrassed Plagg. He didn’t see that often but he was sure to remember it. Pushing past, Adrien could enter the now empty bathroom. Opening the top draw, he took out a small container and carefully unscrewed it. Looking at himself in the slightly foggy mirror, he saw his light green eyes. Something he forgets he had. After final glance at himself, he slipped on his two coloured contacts and blinked a couple times. Vision now clear, he saw himself truly as his father’s son, eyes back to blue.

Finally ready for school, Adrien walked out and headed to the kitchen and went for the fridge. The clock on the wall read 8:15am, giving he more then enough time to eat. Pulling out one of his set meals, Adrien began to eat his vegetarian quesadilla. Since he was a model for his father’s clothes line, Adrien had his own personal chef that worked with his own personal nutritionist to watch over his eating habits. It only took five minutes for Plagg to exit his room fully clothed and ready.  

Walking to the cupboard, he pulled out one slice of bread and put it in the toaster. After a minute or two, it popped out and Plagg went to fetch it. Using the used the already open avocado, he sliced it, put it on the bread and then dressed it with some salt and pepper finishing with some sliced camembert cheese.

“Delicious.” Plagg smiled out his work.

“Shoot is that the time? We need to go, need to be early,” Adrien said, pulling Plagg out the door. All he could hear was his friends grumble while eating his breakfast on the go. Despite living across the street, time always seemed to slip away from him no matter how early he awoke. Once through the gates, he practically ditches Plagg and headed to homeroom. It was around this time when basically everyone was present. Only a minute later, after taking his seat, Marinette walked through the door holding a semi-large pastry box.

“Hey guys! I was baking yesterday and thought it would be pretty cool to bring some to share. Anyways, I’ve got some croissants to share,” Marinette announced, smiling brightly. Adrien’s face lit up ever so slightly though he wasn’t even sure if he counted. Starting at the back left, Adrien calculated that he’d be the last served. While she happened to be serving the back half, Chloe and Sabrina came walking through like they owned the place.

“Eww, what is that disgusting smell,” Chloe complained, exaggerating her disgust toward the smell. Sabrina quickly agreed, looking just as disgusted.

“It’s Marinette’s croissants, they taste amazing. You should taste it,” a guy in the back suggested. If Adrien remembered well, the teacher called him Kim. It was at this moment that Marinette had reached her desk and smiled.

“Do you want one?” Marinette offered.

“No way! As if I’d eating anything lower then five stars,” Chloe snapped. Adrien could see the way Marinette looked. He could tell she was going to argue back but he also knew well that Chloe wasn’t gonna step down. He needed to intervene. Just Marinette opened her mouth, Adrien made his move.

“That’s enough Chloe,” he injected standing up to face her. All eyes were on him and to say the least, they were shocked. “That really isn’t nice to say and you shouldn’t look down on others if you haven’t even tried it.” Chloe looked betrayed mixed with angry with a hint of understanding. Standing up, Chloe stormed out of the classroom with Sabrina hot on her tail. Sitting down, he sighed loudly. He had never said anything like that to Chloe, but then again, he wasn’t really familiar with that side of Chloe either.

“Um, would you perhaps want one Adrien?” Marinette asked. Lifting his head, he could see all eyes were still on him. For the first time, he felt like he could actually be friends with everyone in his class. Giving her the brightest smile he could, he nodded. He hadn’t had a croissant in how many years but the thought itself made him salivate. Taking a bite, he immediately died and went to heaven. The pastry was soft, buttery and flaky, that it basically melted in the mouth. There wasn’t any oil residue, made fresh and golden. It must have been obvious cause the whole class had started laughing. Even his cold desk mate was laughing. It was great.

The day had started off great and to say the least, several people had introduced themselves to him, but what he wanted to do most was befriend his desk mate. They were stuck together for the rest of the year and the least he could do was try to get on better terms with him. It was heading to lunch and Adrien wondered if he should go find Plagg and hang out with him for lunch again. His train of though was interrupted by the sound of the bell. As everyone began to pack up and leave, Adrien hung back just a little, not feeling completely welcomed yet. He failed to notice he wasn’t alone. As he began to exit the classroom, he was stopped.

“Hey,” the voice called. Adrien turned around to see who it was and to say the least, he was stunned.

“Yeah?” he answered calmly though he was secretly a nervous wreck just seconds away from flipping out.

“What you did for Marinette was pretty cool dude. Sorry for being rude at first. Chloe has been… difficult theses last few years. Do over?” the boy asked. Adrien smiled and then nodded.

“Hey, I’m Nino. Nice to meet you. You’re new right?” Nino extended his hand which Adrien gladly took.

“I’m Adrien and yes I’m the new kid. May our friendship last long as the Dressrosa Arc,” Adrien greeted back. It took a second to realise what he said before completely losing it. Feeling super embarrassed, he lightly rubbed the back of his neck, not making eye contact with him. He did the same thing when he first met Plagg. When he’s nervous, Adrien would quote anime or reference one like he had just did then but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing.

“No fricken way! Dude, you watch anime? Who would have guessed that the famous Adrien Agreste was an anime nerd?” Nino laughed. Adrien wanted to die. He blew it. Now he was gonna be teased for the rest of schooling because of his slip up. It was at this moment, that his legs decided to give up on him and he sunk down to the floor. “Don’t worry my dude, I ain’t gonna tell anyone. You shouldn’t doubt someone so quickly. Especially if that someone wants to be friends.” Adrien’s face lit up.

“Really?” Adrien asked like a little child.

“You can’t only have Chloe as your only friend and it’s about time you hung out with someone you have more in common with. Besides, I too watch anime so I’ve got your back,” Nino reassured as he offered a hand to help him up. “You wanna come sit with me? We’re not supposed to eat on the roof but I do anyways,” Nino asked.

“Sure, okay,” Adrien accepted, reaching the extended hand to be pulled up. Following, Adrien walked to the roof and pulled out his pre-made lunch, curtsy of his chef.

“So what brings you to our school?” Nino asked, trying to start conversation.

“Well, I lived in New York for quite a while but after a bunch of events happened and my dad’s work being mainly in France, I had to move and start school. My dad is really protective so I had been home schooled up until now. What I want to know is why our class seems a bit, uh?” Adrien couldn’t find the words for it.

“Different?” Nino suggested. Adrien nodded.

“Yeah, different. Compared to the rest of senior school, our grade seems a bit more… chilled?  And then our class seems to be, well, basically normal. Like normal in the movies. Everyone else is proper and hierarchy driven and seem almost out of their time,” Adrien explained Nino chuckled.

“Well, with technology becoming bigger and the way they mixed departments for base classes, our grade is a bit different but the teaches believe it’s only a faze. Apparently every year group goes through it but they straighten up for the last two years. Its actually just our class that’s really different,” Nino started off.

“Why is that?” Adrien ushered on.

“Our class has some very interesting personalities. The first one would be Chloe. She literally the major’s daughter and is one of the few people in this school that are up to date with the latest trends. The second would probably Alya. She a smart and has a cute personality. She actually went to a normal school and she’s not afraid to voice it out. She introduced a lot of new concepts to our class. Then the biggest one of all.” Nino stopped for dramatic effect. “Ladybug.”

“Ladybug?” Adrien asked, not out of confusion like Nino assumed but out of disbelief at the sudden turn of events.

“Yep. The girl is amazing. She’s this street dancer who literally protects Paris from this super villain.”

“Super villain?” Adrien repeated. That was new.

“The guy’s name is Hawkmoth. Rumour has it that he wants to take over the dancing world and to do that, he hires guys called _‘the akuma’_ to challenge people on the streets to dance off that bet their dancing freedom and territory. If you lose, you become another akumatised victim of his,” Nino explained.

“What stops them from actually listening to him?” Adrien asked. He knew the guy. The name was also around in New York but he couldn’t say that to Nino. Only people in it knew him. That made Adrien wonder why he knew so much about it.

“Dude, that guy’s literally the dancing mafia!” Nino exclaimed. All Adrien could do was laugh.

“No seriously! There was this one guy who lost and he didn’t hold his side of the bargain. Out of nowhere, the guy retires due this injury. Things like that just don’t happen.”

“What do you get out of challenging his akuma?”

“The same if you can beat the ‘Protectors of Paris’. Whoever this Hawkmoth dude is, he’s rich. Not just a little but filthy rich like Chloe’s and your dad. He can grant any wish. At the same time, if you’re his goon and defeat one of the nuisances, you’re also granted any wish.”

“Any wish?” Adrien asked.

“Dude, there ain’t no magic in this universe. Maybe on a parallel universe but not ours. Ours is magic free. Basically any mortal wish. Nothing like raising the dead or anything,” Nino explained.

“Who are the protectors of Paris?” Adrien wanted to know so much more.

“At the beginning, there were many self-proclaimed heroes that went looking for trouble. Honestly, none of them were anything that special. Almost all of them were akumatised and became akuma to akumatise others. The only real hero is Ladybug. That and maybe the new guy that showed up recently.”

“New guy?” Adrien asked a little to eager.

“Yeah, guy who calls himself Chat Noir. Was at an event where Ladybug was challenged to a duo and he volunteered. If he was able to keep up like her, he must be good.”

“How do you know this?” Adrien now so curios he would explode if he didn’t answer. Nino pulled his phone out and opened his browser.

“It’s the Ladyblog. This person literally goes chasing for it. She goes under the alias _‘Rena Rouge’_ though everyone knows who it is,” Nino explained. Adrien gave him a quizzical look.

“Alya Césaire. She owns the Ladyblog. The only reason why its under that name is to ensure Hawkmoth doesn’t find her and the school doesn’t find out.

“Sounds like you like this girl,” Adrien commented slyly.

“Yeah, maybe. But she isn’t my focus,” Nino replied smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For any anime nerds who know the reference, SAME!  
> If you didn't, that's cool too! The Dressrosa Arc is the longest anime Arc in the the One Piece Series so far.


End file.
